Speaking at a New Year's Day demonstration organized by the Derry Relatives Action Committee, a relative of a local prisoner claimed that 1978 would be the year for the prisoners. As the demonstration was drawing to a close, a pledge was circulated and read aloud. It called on supporters to ‘protect the rights of all Irish Political Prisoners based on the principles of Truth, Justice, Freedom and Charity, and so … resolve to pursue the principles by prayer, protest and publicity’.

The demonstrators were asked to redouble their efforts that year. Still, according to the Derry Journal, only about 400 took part in the demonstration. Mary Nelis, a prominent member of the Derry Relatives Action Committees, later noted that ‘For two years … women had marched, held vigils, appealed to priests and bishops, written letters. Wearing only blankets and in bare feet like the prisoners, they had gone around Ireland and Europe, but their efforts did not evoke any great response.’ However, there would soon be a number of fairly significant breakthroughs for the ‘political status’ campaign.

From the point of view of the Left and many rank-and-file RAC activists, the Coalisland Anti-Repression Conference was the first such breakthrough.